Sven Update

I forgot to update my Sven count yesterday, Paula Dean sidetracked me. I have been very productive this week, but not on anything that is sellable or even readable. A few weeks ago, I started a "story" because I was away, and didn't have much internet contact with Michelle, my crit partner, and managed about a page, and then I sent it to her and told her to add to it, just for some fun. Well as of late last night, we now have over 20,000 words on it, and lol, it is soooo not sellable. At least not as a romance. But we are having fun with it. It has gotten both us our creative juices flowing, and we are both working on other stuff while we wait for the other to send what they have written on our "Break Time" story.

It's a very free flow kind of exercise/story, and it definitely helps. Now we just gotta keep the time sucking it can do down to a minimum :D

Paula Dean is a Pervert

LOL, I have decided I love this woman. I very rarely watch TV anymore. I would much rather sit at my computer, being mindless while I pretend to write than watch something even more mindless on TV. Two of the channels hubby and I do watch are HGTV and Food Network. I am always looking for something good to cook, or a way to be organized or less cluttered.

I have seen Paula Dean's old show, and though I liked her, she was a bit too formal for me, a bit too southern lady for me. But, good lord!!! This woman really shines with her new show. I have seen it twice, and she is naughtier than I am. Last time they were making candy or something, and she was making innuendoes that had the candy guy blushing. (if you weren't of that set of mind, though they would have been just cute - being an erotic writer, my mind went straight to the gutter, as did the all female audience of 100) And today she is doing a special on butter.
I wasn't watching it, hubby had turned it on and left the room (don't get me started on wasting electricity) and I was in the other room on the laptop. I heard women screaming, go and look, and she has 4 hunky men that could have been on any good erotic novel cover carrying in pounds of butter, muscles straining in tight black Tshirts with the words "Butter Wrangler" on them. Okay, to hell with the butter, I started drooling.
Now she is trying different kinds of butter in a "blind" taste test, and one of the wranglers is buttering her muffins for her. Not only is she making innuendo galore, but when he hands her the small muffin with butter on it, she wraps her hands around his hand, and pulls it to her, and THEN the woman just kissed/nipped/licked her way up the man's forearm.
I love this woman. I wanna be her when I grow up.

Awesome Story

Okay, I will preface this with stating that I know I am biased, but I can't help it.

My crit partner recently had a story released with Loose-Id, The Bodyguard. It is an incredible story, hot and fast paced. My favorite part about it is Nicolas' driving need to help Elena heal from an incredible ordeal, and what he will do for her. I am not a huge fan of uber alphas, but I love Nic. I do.

Of course, his brother Nash is pretty damn hot, too. He gets his own story soon. Just not soon enough for me.

Nothing Done

Well, Sunday is weekly check in for SWEAT. This week was not a good week for me in writing. I ended up going home last Sunday to visit my mom for a few days, didn't get back home til Thursday evening. I took my laptop, as I knew my mom was working, and figured I would get tons done while I was there. Boy was I wrong. I think I wrote maybe 250 words.
My niece's paternal grandmother died, and she spent a lot of time with me and her other grandmother (my mom). But that was only partly it. I also got little to nothing done on the airplane either way. I ended up sleeping, which I almost never do.
I did edit two of three short stories that my editor wants, and one more that I am subbing to someone else by the end of this week, although most of that has been done since I got home. But at least I am moving forward. THAT is the important part. Right? And now back to work.

Total Count for Sweat: 13,117

Another Day of Sweat

Well, not sure how well I will get anything done this week. Came home to visit mom in Boston for a few days, and she doesn't do the internet thing. Hoping I can get some work done, though. It would be nice. Count is same as it was Friday. 12444. (or close to it)

What Kind of Nerd Are You?

This took a heck of a lot longer than I expected, but I had to post it once I was done.
Got nothing done on my sweat today. Was packing, as I have to leave early tomorrow morning for a surprise trip home to see my mom. Surprise to me, it just came about yesterday. Sooo, since she doesn't have internet, I won't be online, but maybe I will get some writing done. So, see you next week!!!!!

The first time I posted it, it didn't keep the ratings/bar graph in it, lets see if it does this time.

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd   Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Drama Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Social Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
Musician
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Today's Sweat

It started out really well, and then I lost it somewhere in the middle. Clipping along fairly well now, though, but not impressed with my total count. I have just learned that I am going to be going to Boston for a few days, and I will not have internet access that entire time, unless I can find a free hotspot. Soo, hopefully that means I wll at least get some writing done and not so much messing around done :)
Total for sweat 12, 244

Sweating to the Words

Okay, I joined the 70 days of writing, and Sunday I did really well, Did almost 7,000 words in one day. Monday not so hot. Tuesday, nope, not then either :D.
Today working hard on it. So far, though, I have about 9,000 words for three days. That is good. very good. None of it on what I was supposed to be working on though. I got sidetracked with a menage. (okay that didn't sound quite right, did it?) hehehe

I HAVE been working, though. So, gonna keep working today. By the end of the night/early tomorrow, I will post my new word count.

Romances are the Bane of Our Existence

I had an interesting blog conversation with someone today. He was saying he thinks that Romances are the bane of human existence. He blames them for unrealistic expectations that women have in regards to relationships and love.

And I agree with that TO A POINT

He said that romance fans were unable to distinguish reality versus fiction.

Now I take affront at that. He seems to think that romance readers are the only ones that are like that, and ALL romance readers are like this.

Even when I pointed out that other genres also create people unable to separate reality from fiction, he continued to point out "there is a princess deep down in every woman waiting to be rescued."

You know, I got pissed. Really really pissed. I am not waiting to be rescued, and I haven't wanted to be rescued since I was 17. I learned that the only one that can rescue you is you. That the only one that can save you, make you who you want to be, make you happy is YOU. With or without a man.

And I try to write my heroines like that, too. A friend assured me when I asked that no, none of my heroines needed to be rescued. They are all successful, self-confident women. Even those that want a man, don't want them to rescue them, they want someone to hold and that will hold them. They want a partnership, not someone that will make them more or better just because they have a man.

I use the term completion sometimes when I explain the connection between a hero and a heroine, and perhaps that isn't the best term to be used, but I feel complete with my husband. I feel that he helps me, rounds out the parts of me that need it. but I do that same for him. There was no rescuing, unless we did it for each other. Okay, yeah, I just said he rounds me out, I guess you can say makes me more. But the thing is, I am still a wonderful, powerful, dynamic woman on my own. I don't NEED him to make things better. Yes, he CAN make things better, but if he weren't there, I would still survive. And I would still be a complete person.

The love or attention of a man will not make you more who you are, you need to establish that by yourself first.
The love a a partner (man or woman) will make you more, yes. In the sense that the two of you together will make something else, but you are still individuals on your own.

Seventy Days of Sweat

Well, one of the members of Authors of Erotic Romance sent us the link and information for Seventy Days of Sweat, and being the procrastinator I am, I had to sign up.

The idea behind it is that for the next 70 days I have to write. A lot. We are supposed to write 60-100,000 words in the next 70 days. I am planning get my second novel in the Argus series done. The novel I expected to have done 6 months ago. If I don't write on that novel, I need to at least write on something every day. Summer is supposed to be my time to write, and I haven't made use of it very well except in the last week. Thanks to Alison Kent and the rest of the ladies involved with 70 days, I now have no excuse.

Check back to see my progress. :)

Hello All!

Welcome to my newly active blog. (I hope). I figured I have the blog, I might as well use it for what it is intended for, right?

I am done with all but final edits for Destination Ecstasy, and completely done with edits for Synchronicity, Volume 1. No release date for Ecstasy yet, but Synchronicity is still due out in September of this year at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid.

I got an awesome review for Argus: In Dreams from Niniri at Joyfully Reviewed.
Argus: In Dreams is an action packed thriller that I couldn't put down. The story flows smoothly and had my attention from the first page. Diana and Gabe are a great pair with the right mojo for love at first sight.

I have to say those three lines made my day, if not my entire month :)
.

Thirteen Things about Our Bathroom Remodel 1. The previous owners of the house HID the leak instead of fixing it. 2. The previous owners of the house are idiots 3. The damage to the floor was worse than we hoped 4. The damage to the floor was better than we feared. 5. Backerboard is a tad bit thinner than sheetrock, and the bump WILL show through the tub enclosure 6. If you take a tub out of the tub enclosure there is no guarantee that it will fit back. Trust me on this one. 7. When cutting support boards, you need someway to hold them to the back of the backerboard. 8. There is a reason that the shower assembly instructions say that the holes need to be at least 6 inches apart. 9. Always budget 2x more money than you think you will need. 10. Count on at least one of your tools breaking, and another one not doing what it is supposed to do. 11. Measure 3 times, not just twice. 12. However long you think something will take, double it. 13. That shower is going to feel wonderful after all this work. 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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My First

Since I have been putting off joining T13 for months, for my first Thursday 13 I thought I would list all the things I was supposed to do yesterday(or the day before) and put off, so now have to do today (and hopefully not tomorrow). 1. Join Thursday Thirteen 2. Sign up to blog one day for LRM 3. Empty Dishwasher 4. Clean Bathroom 5. Start Edits on Rapture Resort 6. Change Sheets 7. Price Bathroom Fixtures 8. Pick Clothes for Interview for today 9. Exercise 10. Add Weather Bug to hubby's puter 11. Add links to my webpage 12. Update Blogger Template 13. Give Cat a bath and haircut ;)


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



I had to write my monthly blog for Torrid Temptations yesterday, and I liked it so much, I thought I would share it here, too.

Crumbs in Bed
I was reading a book a while ago that talked about what these women would and would not throw a man out of bed for eating. Actually, I have seen a couple books like that in the last couple years. And it got me thinking. How hot does my hottie have to be to be forgiven cookie or cracker crumbs in bed? And still be allowed back?

Case in point: Have you ever had that moment when you are trying to go to sleep, and realize that your significant other ate cookies or crackers in bed (and perhaps you did, too), but that there are now crumbs in bed?

Can you sleep on crumbs? I can’t. My husband thinks I am psychotic. My sheets have to be precisely neat, and I can’t have any crumbs in my bed. (we wont mention the condition of the rest of the bedroom) Last night after eating crackers and provolone cheese (really one of the best cheeses in the world) I tried to go to sleep. Nope, wasn’t gonna happen. Why? Cause there were crumbs in bed. And I had to sweep them off.

Not just once or twice. But three times. The last time stripping the bed almost completely to get the crumbs out.

Meanwhile my husband is laughing his ass off on his side of the bed. And we aren’t talking big crumbs, we are talking crumbs so small that when I grabbed a couple, I couldn’t see them, I could only feel them on my fingertips.

So, how hot does my hottie have to be to be forgiven cracker crumbs? Well, my husband is a given. BUT I have to say that I wouldn’t throw Braden (from Christmas Candy) out. And probably not Lucas from Through the Veil. And probably not even Michelle Hasker’s Jack, from Morgan’s Magick. And DEFINTELY not Kade from Dark God of Beltane, which doesn't even come out for three more months.

So while I was contemplating this, I came up with another question. Are my hotties all hot enough to NOT be thrown out of bed for crumbs? I decided yes. If ever I have a hottie that is not good enough to be forgiven crumbs in bed, then he isn’t a hottie I want to write about. So, all my hotties will be hot enough to be forgiven.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t have to help me sweep out the crumbs before we go to bed.

Awesome Review for Celtic Love Knots

Michelle Hasker and I got an awesome review today for Celtic Love Knots Volume 1 from Fallen Angels Reviews. Michelle and I each have a short story in this volume, and in volume 2. We were so excited to see this today. It will be available at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid starting February 1.

Not only did we get 5 Angels, which is their highest rating, but it was a RECOMMENDED READ. I can't even begin to explain how this makes me feel. It is incredible. Thank you, again, Tammy. So glad you enjoyed it!!





Celtic Love Knots Volume 1: Morgan’s Magick & Through The Veil

Celtic Love Knots Volume 1 is a delicious treat containing two erotic stories that complement each other perfectly. I have to say that this book is a marvelous beginning to what I hope is a very long series and one I don’t want to miss.

Morgan’s Magick by Michelle Hasker

Morgan Engles owns her own store named Morgan’s Magickal Shoppe where she caters to her Wiccian heritage and sells specialty items such as potions and wands. When Jack Quinn comes into her shop to show her the new batch of wands he’s made for her to sell, Morgan can’t help but feel the sexual pull between them and knows she won’t be able to fight off her attraction to him much longer. When Jack starts flirting with her, she decides to give in to the temptation he so boldly offers.

Morgan’s Magick by Michelle Hasker is a tantalizing story that will have you begging for more. The characters are well detailed and enjoyable; the plot is appealing and extremely sensual. I loved the passion and electricity that flowed between Morgan and Jack and thought the author did a fantastic job of grabbing the reader’s attention from the first page and holding it until the last.

Through The Veil by Tina Bendoni

Alyson has the perfect man; the one she has always dreamed of, the only problem is that he is only in her dreams. Alyson had come to love Lucas and their nights together and knew she would never want anyone but him. She just needed a way to convince her friend Bree that her dream man was enough, but Bree has other ideas. She decides to use a spell to bring Alyson the perfect man, a real man, for one night only while the veil between worlds is thin. If the spell works, how will Alyson feel about her dream man after being with a flesh and blood man?

Through The Veil by Tina Bendoni is a tempting tale that will leave you wishing for a dream man of your own. I thought the premise of this plot was very exciting and the characters well developed for such a short story. The sex in this story was hot enough to burn and left me eager to read the second volume of the Celtic Love Knots series!

Reviewed by: Tammy
See entire review HERE

Argus: In Dreams Now Available

This is such an exciting day for me. Argus: In Dreams is finally out. It is my first published full length novel. This was really a labor of love for me. I woke up one morning with this thought in my head, and it wouldn't go away until I started to write it. Even with some difficult parts, the majority of this book just flowed for me, and I love it.




Argus: In Dreams

Diana has been dreaming about Gabe’s military unit for the last 8 years. She never expected the unit to be real, or to fall in love with the man that led it.

She also never expected to be told it was her destiny to save the world. Or that an independent woman like her would need a man to do the job.

It's a lot for a girl to accept.

But once she does accept it all – demon-fighting commandos, evil sorcerers, magical female lineage, and damned fine man in her bed – will the price for the safety of the world be too high to pay?

Trouble Us Authors Get Into

Well, a friend of mine made a phone call today. You can see it here. It reminded me of a conversation I had with Sherry, the secretary, and basically woman who knows it all at my insurance agent's office a couple years ago, before I was really serious about writing, but still playing around with the idea. I had a murder mystery in mind, with all kinds of subplots.

Me: Sherry, I have a silly question, that is gonna sound awfully suspicious.
Sherry: Okay. What is it?
Me: What happens if your house burns down, and it is proven to be arson, but they can't prove YOU were the one that did it? Do you still get the insurance money?

Now, not only is this insurance agent my car insurer, they also had just started insuring my new (to us) house less than 6 months previous to this conversation. The look Sherry gave me was, needless to say, um, worried.

Me (quickly): It's for a book I'm writing. Or thinking of writing. Really.
Sherry: (feigining [?] interest): Really?
So I babble on, and tell her a little, but not much, cause even then I wasn't huge on the plotting thing, and then tell her she doesn't need to make it official, don't want her to check on it, just thought she might know. (You know, because now that I asked this question, I just KNEW my house would burn down in the next 6 months or so)
So she says she doesn't know, but will look into it. And I get the impression that she believes me, etc. After all, she has known me for 10 years, and the fact I can be a dingbat at times.
Less than a week later, I get a formal letter. On OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD of the company telling me what they do.
oops
hope my house doesn't ever catch fire.
oh, yeah, the answer to the question?
I forget.

Tina

IT'S OUT!!!!

Finally!! The Christmas Candy Anthology is out!!! My story, Peppermint Surprise is the second story, following an awesome take on the poem The Night Before Christmas, and a great story about second chances. I have to say I am pleased to no end to have my name in print. I feel like I have accomplished something.

My full length novel, Argus: In Dreams is still scheduled for release in Ebook format late December, and so far I haven't heard any different on that. The cover is awesome, check it out here. I was ecstatic when I saw it, to say the least!

New Cover

Hey All, We finally got the cover for the Christmas Candy Anthology that Whiskey Creek Press Torrid is pubbing on December 1st. It is gorgeous. Since I am not sure how to inserti pictures here, or even if we can, here is a link to my webpage with it: http://www.tinabendoni.com/excps.html
I also have a yahoo group for anyone that would like to join: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tinasthoughts/?yguid=271948769
It will mostly be newsletter and one or two announcements. Not a chatting group, sorry :)

I vs. ME

Okay.

I will be honest, I tend to be snobby about my tendency to use proper grammar. I am not perfect, by any means, but I tend to try to be careful what I say or do. That doesn't mean all the time, and it doesn't mean when I think I am right, that I really am. But there are some things that bother me intensely. Today I am going to discuss the difference between ME and I.

I am a substitute teacher, and tend to work in mostly LD classes, so I have a tendency to avoid using “indirect, direct, reflexive” terminology. If you are an English teacher, feel free to correct me on any of this, but my goal is just to get people to realize when to use which word.

Both are pronouns, and they both mean the same thing, but that does not mean that they can be used interchangeably. The problems arise when people are using the "____and I" versus "_____and me" phrase.

I is what I will choose to call an Active pronoun. You use it when “I” (the subject) is doing something.
ME is more passive, when something is done to ME, with ME. (versus when I am doing something with someone else)

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER
If you do not know when to use it, take out the "_____ and" part. You would never say "ME am going to the store" so why would you say "John and me are going to the store"? You would never say, "Give it to I" so why would you say "Give it to John and I"?


Which sounds better?
A.
John and me went to the store with Sarah.
John and I went to the store with Sarah.

Hopefully you would never say, “Me went to the store with Sarah.” So the answer is the second one, John and I went to the store with Sarah.

B.
She came with John and me.
She came with John and I.

If it were just you alone, without John, would you say “She came with me” or “She came with I”?
So again, the answer is the one that sounds better without the other person. She came with John and me.
(okay, I prefer “me and john” but I am not gonna get into that today)

So, do not assume, please, please, please, that “John and I” is appropriate in all situations. THINK before you speak or write.



According to www.M-W.com
ME: Function: pronoun, objective case

Me is used in many constructions where strict grammarians prescribe I. This usage is not so much ungrammatical as indicative of the shrinking range of the nominative form: me began to replace I sometime around the 16th century largely because of the pressure of word order. I is now chiefly used as the subject of an immediately following verb. Me occurs in every other position: absolutely (who, me?), emphatically (me too), and after prepositions, conjunctions, and verbs, including be (come with me) (you're as big as me) (it's me). Almost all usage books recognize the legitimacy of me in these positions, especially in speech; some recommend I in formal and especially written contexts after be and after as and than when the first term of the comparison is the subject of a verb.